Mechanism for Automatically Disabling Printer Separator Pages

ABSTRACT

A computer generated method disclosed. The method includes receiving a print job, analyzing the print job data stream, determining if the print job data stream includes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria and disabling generation of a separator page for the print job if the print job data stream includes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to the field of printing systems. Particularly,the invention relates to generation of print job separator pages.

BACKGROUND

Computing centers that employ one or more printers to serve a group ofusers, such as a networked group or other work group, typically rely onthe printers to batch process print jobs (e.g., print-out a series ofdifferent print jobs in succession). Such printers produce separatorpages which are used for identification and segregation of print jobs inan office, departmental or other shared or multi-user printingenvironment. Separator pages generated at the beginning of a print jobare commonly referred to as headers, while pages generated after a printjob are referred to as trailers. Such separator pages include one or twolines of text that identify the requesting party and identify the jobnumber.

Generation of separator pages at a printer is commonly established as adefault setting. Thus, a default application setting of adding separatorpages applies to both secure and non-secure print jobs. However, becausea user is often required to physically go to the printer panel and inputa security number (PIN) in order to print secured document(s) there isno need for identification of the print job via a separator page.Accordingly, printing separator pages in such instances results inwasted paper. Wasted paper attributed to the generation of unnecessaryseparator pages may lead to thousands of dollars wasted every year bybusinesses using printers. There are additional instances in whichseparator pages are not needed, but are generated nonetheless.

Accordingly, a mechanism to disable the generation of separator pages isdesired.

SUMMARY

In one embodiment a computer generated method is disclosed. The methodincludes receiving a print job, analyzing the print job data stream,determining if the print job data stream includes a command matching oneor more pre-defined criteria and disabling generation of a separatorpage for the print job if the print job data stream includes a commandmatching one or more pre-defined criteria.

In another embodiment, a print server is disclosed. The print serverincludes a printing software product to receive a print job, analyze theprint job data stream, determine if the print job data stream includes acommand matching one or more pre-defined criteria and disable generationof a separator page for the print job if the print job data streamincludes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained from thefollowing detailed description in conjunction with the followingdrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a data processing system network;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of automaticallydisabling generation of a separator page; and

FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a computer system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A mechanism to disable the generation of separator pages for varioustypes of print jobs is described. In the following description, for thepurposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth inorder to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. Itwill be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that the presentinvention may be practiced without some of these specific details. Inother instances, well-known structures and devices are shown in blockdiagram form to avoid obscuring the underlying principles of the presentinvention.

Reference in the specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment”means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic describedin connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodimentof the invention. The appearances of the phrase “in one embodiment” invarious places in the specification are not necessarily all referring tothe same embodiment.

FIG. 1 illustrates one embodiment of a data processing system network100. Network 100 includes a data processing system 102, which may beeither a desktop or a mobile data processing system, coupled viacommunications link 104 to network 106. In one embodiment, dataprocessing system 102 is a conventional data processing system includinga processor, local memory, nonvolatile storage, and input/output devicessuch as a keyboard, mouse, trackball, and the like, all in accordancewith the known art. In one embodiment, data processing system 102includes and employs the Windows operating system, or other operatingsystem, and/or network drivers permitting data processing system 102 tocommunicate with network 106 for the purposes of employing resourceswithin network 106.

Network 106 may be a local area network (LAN) or any other network overwhich print requests may be submitted to a remote printer or printserver. Communications link 104 may be in the form of a network adapter,docking station, or the like, and supports communications between dataprocessing system 102 and network 106 employing a network communicationsprotocol such as Ethernet, the AS/400 Network, or the like.

According to one embodiment, network 100 includes a print server 108that serves print requests over network 106 received via communicationslink 110 between print server 108 and network 106. Print server 108subsequently transmits the print requests via communications link 110 toone of printers 109 for printing, which are coupled to network 106 viacommunications links 111.

In one embodiment, a print application at data processing system 102allows a user to select the desired print server 108 and submit requestsfor service requests to printer 109 via print server 108 over network106 Although described as separate entities, other embodiments mayinclude print server 108 being incorporated in one or more of theprinters 109. In yet further embodiments, the print server and printermay be physically separate entities. Therefore, the data processingsystem network depicted in FIG. 1 is selected for the purposes ofexplaining and illustrating the present invention and is not intended toimply architectural limitations. Those skilled in the art will recognizethat various additional components may be utilized in conjunction withthe present invention.

According to one embodiment, print server 108 implements a printingsoftware product that manages the printing of documents from dataprocessing system 102 and one or more of printers 109. In otherembodiments, the printing software product manages printing of documentsfrom multiple data processing systems 102 to the one or more printers109. In a further embodiment, the printing software product may beimplemented using either InfoPrint Manager (IPM) or InfoPrintProcessDirector (IPPD), although other types of printing software may beused instead.

In one embodiment, the printing software product analyzes a print jobdata stream against criteria to determine if a separator page is to begenerated for the print job. In one embodiment, criteria are algorithmsor rules that define an action (e.g., enable/disable separator pages)upon a data stream matching the criteria (e.g., commands present withinthe data stream that indicate that the print job is a secure print job).For instance, the commands may include PJL commands, such as @ PJL SETHOLD=OFF/ON/PROOF/STORE/PRINT, @PJL SET HOLDTYPE=PUBLIC/PRIVATE and @PJLSET HOLDKEY=4 digits PIN, 000, 1234, . . . 999. However, otherembodiments may implement PostScript or other proprietary commands). Thecriteria are pre-defined before a print job is received and may bemodified as desired, and may include rules that act on one or morevariables.

In one embodiment, the printing software product searches for anddetects the presence of specific print job requests by parsing print jobcommand line arguments and matching them to known commands. In such anembodiment the known commands indicating that the job is a secure printjob may be printer driver flags (e.g., qprt -P ‘queue’-U2-V1234printfile, where -U flag enables the secure print request and -V flagcontrols the security number). Other embodiments may define andimplement other specific printing software flags or parameters.

Secure command line arguments within a print job instruct the printer tohold the job at the printer with a PIN number that the user must enterto release it. According to one embodiment, secure print jobs aresubmitted by using command line specific parameters. In such anembodiment, the printing software product inserts the proper securecommands into the data stream in response to secure print requestcommands (e.g., qprt -P ‘queue’-U2-V1234 printfile). Another embodimentfor submitting secure print jobs is to have the secure commands insertedin the data stream (e.g., PJL SET HOLD=ON; @PJL SET HOLDTYPE=PRIVATE,@PJL SET HOLDKEY=“1234”) prior to receipt at the printing softwareproduct.

In either embodiment, the printing software product parses the commandline arguments to identify if secure job options were used. According toone embodiment, the printing software product processes the print job assecure, while automatically disabling the generation of a separator jobfor a print job upon detecting secure command line argument. Thus, noseparator page is requested by the printing software product when thejob is printed at a printer 109. As a result, non-secure jobs areprinted with separator pages, while secure jobs are not.

In another embodiment, the printing software product searches forcommands within the data stream that indicate that the print job is tobe forwarded to a particular output bin. In such an embodiment, thecriteria are set so that print jobs that are specified for a particularmailbox have the separator page withheld. However, print jobs thatspecify a general output bin at the same printer may have the separatorpage added. This embodiment may be implemented where the printeradministrator has determined that print job outputs in the mailbox donot require a header/trailer page.

In yet another embodiment, the printing software product searches forcommands within the data stream that indicate that the print job is toundergo post-processing. For example, the criteria may be set such thatprint jobs that are specified for post-processing (e.g., stapling orfolding) have the separator page withheld. However, print jobs at thesame printer that do not specify post-processing have the separator pageadded. This embodiment may be implemented where the print jobadministrator has determined that print job outputs for post-processingdo not require a separator page because they are easily identified bythe stapling.

One skilled in the art will recognize that various other embodiments mayimplement additional criteria as an impetus for the automatic disablingof separator pages.

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating one embodiment of automaticallydisabling generation of a separator page. At processing block 210, thecriteria are set for which a print job data stream is compared todetermine if a separator page is to be generated. At processing block220, a print job data stream is received at the printing softwareproduct. At processing block 230, the print job data stream is analyzed.At decision block 240, it is determined whether the data stream includescommands that meet the criteria.

If one or more criteria are met the printing software product prevents aseparator page from being printed for the print job by not inserting thecommand lines into the data stream that generate the separator page,processing block 250. If, however, none of the criteria are met theprinting software product enables generation of the separator page byinserting the command lines into the data stream, processing block 260.

In one embodiment, the printing software product generates separatorpages by default. Thus, no action is warranted to initiate generation ofseparator pages. However other embodiments may feature non-generation ofseparator pages as the default setting, where separator pages aregenerated if the criteria are not met. In either event, the print jobdata stream undergoes further processing at the printing softwareproduct, processing block 270. At processing block 280, the print job istransmitted to a print engine for printing.

FIG. 3 illustrates a computer system 300 on which data processing system102 and/or server 108 may be implemented. Computer system 300 includes asystem bus 320 for communicating information, and a processor 310coupled to bus 320 for processing information.

Computer system 300 further comprises a random access memory (RAM) orother dynamic storage device 325 (referred to herein as main memory),coupled to bus 320 for storing information and instructions to beexecuted by processor 310. Main memory 325 also may be used for storingtemporary variables or other intermediate information during executionof instructions by processor 310. Computer system 300 also may include aread only memory (ROM) and or other static storage device 326 coupled tobus 320 for storing static information and instructions used byprocessor 310.

A data storage device 325 such as a magnetic disk or optical disc andits corresponding drive may also be coupled to computer system 300 forstoring information and instructions. Computer system 300 can also becoupled to a second I/O bus 350 via an I/O interface 330. A plurality ofI/O devices may be coupled to I/O bus 350, including a display device324, an input device (e.g., an alphanumeric input device 323 and or acursor control device 322). The communication device 321 is foraccessing other computers (servers or clients). The communication device321 may comprise a modem, a network interface card, or other well-knowninterface device, such as those used for coupling to Ethernet, tokenring, or other types of networks.

Embodiments of the invention may include various steps as set forthabove. The steps may be embodied in machine-executable instructions. Theinstructions can be used to cause a general-purpose or special-purposeprocessor to perform certain steps. Alternatively, these steps may beperformed by specific hardware components that contain hardwired logicfor performing the steps, or by any combination of programmed computercomponents and custom hardware components.

Elements of the present invention may also be provided as amachine-readable medium for storing the machine-executable instructions.The machine-readable medium may include, but is not limited to, floppydiskettes, optical disks, CD-ROMs, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs,RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, propagation media orother type of media/machine-readable medium suitable for storingelectronic instructions. For example, the present invention may bedownloaded as a computer program which may be transferred from a remotecomputer (e.g., a server) to a requesting computer (e.g., a client) byway of data signals embodied in a carrier wave or other propagationmedium via a communication link (e.g., a modem or network connection).

Whereas many alterations and modifications of the present invention willno doubt become apparent to a person of ordinary skill in the art afterhaving read the foregoing description, it is to be understood that anyparticular embodiment shown and described by way of illustration is inno way intended to be considered limiting. Therefore, references todetails of various embodiments are not intended to limit the scope ofthe claims, which in themselves recite only those features regarded asessential to the invention.

1. A computer generated method comprising: receiving a print job; analyzing the print job data stream; determining if the print job data stream includes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria; and disabling generation of a separator page for the print job if the print job data stream includes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria.
 2. The method of claim 1 further comprising: transmitting the print job to a print engine; and printing the print job without a separator page.
 3. The method of claim 1 further comprising generating of a separator page for the print job if the print job data stream does not include a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria.
 4. The method of claim 3 further comprising: transmitting the print job to a print engine; and printing the print job with a separator page.
 5. The method of claim 1 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is a secure print job and generation of a separator page is disabled if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is a secure print job.
 6. The method of claim 1 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is to be forwarded to a first of a plurality of output bins at a printer and generation of a separator page is disabled if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is to be forwarded to the first of the plurality of output bins at the printer.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein generation of a separator page is enabled if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is to be forwarded to a second of the plurality of output bins at the printer.
 8. The method of claim 1 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is to undergo post-processing and generation of a separator page is disabled if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is to undergo post-processing.
 9. A print server comprising a printing software product to receive a print job, analyze the print job data stream, determine if the print job data stream includes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria and disable generation of a separator page for the print job if the print job data stream includes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria.
 10. The print server of claim 9 wherein the printing software product transmits the print job to a print engine and prints the print job without a separator page.
 11. The print server of claim 9 wherein the printing software product generates a separator page for the print job if the print job data stream does not include a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria.
 12. The print server of claim 9 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is a secure print job and the printing software product disables generation of a separator page if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is a secure print job.
 13. The print server of claim 9 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is to be forwarded to a first of a plurality of output bins at a printer and the printing software product disables generation of a separator page if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is to be forwarded to the first of the plurality of output bins at the printer.
 14. The print server of claim 9 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is to undergo post-processing and the printing software product disables generation of a separator page if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is to undergo post-processing.
 15. An article of manufacture comprising a machine-readable medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, cause the machine to perform operations comprising: receiving a print job; analyzing the print job data stream; determining if the print job data stream includes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria; and disabling generation of a separator page for the print job if the print job data stream includes a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria.
 16. The article of manufacture of claim 15 comprising a machine-readable medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, further causes the machine to perform operations comprising: transmitting the print job to a print engine; and printing the print job without a separator page.
 17. The article of manufacture of claim 15 comprising a machine-readable medium including data that, when accessed by a machine, further causes the machine to perform operations comprising generating of a separator page for the print job if the print job data stream does not include a command matching one or more pre-defined criteria.
 18. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is a secure print job and generation of a separator page is disabled if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is a secure print job.
 19. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is to be forwarded to a first of a plurality of output bins at a printer and generation of a separator page is disabled if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is to be forwarded to the first of the plurality of output bins at the printer.
 20. The article of manufacture of claim 15 wherein a criteria is an indication that a print job is to undergo post-processing and generation of a separator page is disabled if the print job data stream includes a command indicating that the print job is to undergo post-processing. 